The Ministry of Health has signed an agreement for the construction of a new 14-room private facility and isolation facility at Haa Dhaalu Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital, as part of efforts to expand healthcare infrastructure in the atolls.

The contract, valued at MVR 53.56 million, has been awarded to Altec Maldives Private Limited, with construction expected to be completed within 435 days. The agreement was signed at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Health, with the State Minister for Health signing on behalf of the Ministry and the General Manager of Altec Maldives representing the contractor. The project will be funded by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), marking the bank’s first standalone project in the Maldives.

Under the new project, a dedicated facility comprising 14 private rooms will be constructed, with each room designed to accommodate both patients and a companion and fitted with an en-suite bathroom. The building will also include isolation and emergency care spaces, a dialysis room, storage areas, nurse stations, administrative offices, utility and sterilisation rooms, and a prayer room. A multipurpose hall will be located on the first floor to support training and community programmes.

The Ministry said the new facility is expected to improve patient comfort and dignity, enhance infection control capacity, and strengthen the hospital’s role in medical training and community health outreach.

Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital is the busiest healthcare facility outside the Greater Malé Region and serves as a referral centre for Haa Alif, Haa Dhaalu and Shaviyani Atolls. It also receives patients from other parts of the country due to the availability of specialist and super-specialist services.